Quickstart Rules

These are the rules you need to begin playing the game. After reading this, and the safety rules, you're ready to make a character or crew.

You start with 4 hits.
You lose one hit when hit by a melee or thrown weapon, unless accompanied by a damage call.
You can only make one call or successful attack per second.
You can use one Active Ability (marked with⚡) every 10 seconds.

If reduced to 0 hits you are Incapacitated.
While Incapacitated you are conscious and can talk, yell, etc, but are immobile, should act as though in pain, and can’t perform any actions unless it's a skill explicitly usable while incapacitated. After 15 seconds of being incapacitated, you must make a wound draw at the end of the encounter (only once)^FAQ. This count is paused if someone performs roleplay on you with both hands that looks beneficial (for example First Aid). You can move short distances for safety reasons while Incapacitated.

Calls delivered by melee and thrown weapons do not take effect if blocked or parried, unless specified in the call description.
If a call has no effect and RESIST isn’t called (because e.g. the target didn’t notice your call, or it was blocked or parried or missed) then any resources used to make the call aren’t expended.
Ranged calls have a range of 5m.
Arrows and crossbow bolts hit for implicit BASH. You can block arrows and crossbow bolts with a shield or buckler, but please do not attempt to parry them with your weapon.

Calls

A call is a sequence of words that has a special meaning in the game rules. They are the means by which players communicate that they're performing feats that they can't do physically, such as a sword swing of great strength, or firing a lightning bolt from a Tesla device. it is important you know how to react to at least the damage calls and simple effect calls; if in doubt, you can always respond to a call by “falling over screaming, then seeing a ref for clarification”.

Melee and thrown calls require you to hit with the weapon followed by saying the words that make up the call (*weapon hit* "BASH"). Ranged calls need you to identify the target and then follow with the rest of the call (*pointed finger* “You in the white mask, STUN” or *arms wide* “MASS REPEL”). A call can also be delivered with a shield block, in reaction to another character hitting your shield or buckler. You should not strike another character's body with your shield to deliver a shield block.

A call can be a composite call of multiple effects (for example "TRIPLE STUN"). This counts as a single call for the one-call-per-second rule.

Out-of-game Calls

STOP THE GAME / MAN DOWN	Anyone can call this. There has been a sort of emergency, it could be quite serious. Please call this if you are injured, or lose your glasses, or see someone else is injured. When you hear this, stop moving your feet (unless it’s unsafe not to) or roleplaying, and if people continue roleplaying, repeat the call. Ascertain the nature of the call, and respond appropriately (by looking around for someone’s glasses without moving your feet and stepping on them, or by letting any first-aiders tend to the harmed person). After things are dealt with, a ref will call TIME IN. If there are no refs during this interaction, for some reason, then by mutual consent play can start again. If you hear “MAN DOWN” then respond as if it were “STOP THE GAME”.
TOO HARD	Anyone can call this if you are hit too hard. If someone calls this after you hit them, it isn’t a indictment of your abilities as a roleplayer, but hit them less hard please, as you just hurt them. If you are consistently being hit too hard by somebody, see a ref.
TIME IN	Called by refs to indicate play starts or resumes.
TIME OUT	Called by refs to indicate play ends.
TIME FREEZE	Called by refs to pause play. This is usually to give the refs time to react to something or change something that can't be done in real time.
TIME FAFF	Called by refs on linears if the party is proceeding too quickly and things aren't ready yet. Continue roleplaying, but do not move forward. Feel free to invent an in-universe reason to take a break.

Game Calls

SINGLE	Lose 1 hit.
DOUBLE	Lose 2 hits. You should roleplay a visible reaction, so the caller knows you've taken the call.
TRIPLE	Lose 3 hits. You should roleplay a visible reaction, so the caller knows you've taken the call.
CRUSH	Lose all hits.
BASH	Lose 2 hits and you are knocked back 3 paces.
BACKSTAB	The entire call only applies if your attacker is behind you. Also lose 3 hits.
HEAL	Heal 4 hits. If you're not under pressure, heal all hits.
STUN	For 5 seconds you cannot attack or make calls other than RESIST, and can only move at a walking pace. This takes effect if blocked or parried.
REPEL	Move away for 5 seconds. This takes effect if blocked or parried.
DRAG	Move towards the target and stay within 5 feet for 5 seconds. This takes effect if blocked or parried.
SUPPRESS	For 15 seconds you cannot make any calls other than SINGLE or resist any calls.
EFFECT	The effect stated after the call applies to you. Unless otherwise specified, EFFECTs last 5 minutes.
Would You Kindly	Do your best to carry out the instruction. Unless otherwise specified, Would You Kindly lasts 30 seconds.
CURSE	See a ref at the earliest convenient time and tell them you took this call.
RESIST	Called to indicate you took a call, but it didn’t apply as expected for some reason. This is not subject to the one second rule. When you RESIST a call, if it is delivered by melee strike, thrown strike or arrow or crossbow bolt that hits the body, you still take a point of damage.

Modifiers

MASS	Affects everyone in a 5m radius circle or cone indicated by outstretched arms. If you have a skill that allows you to make a MASS call you can choose to cone it or not, unless the skill specifies otherwise. The caller can choose if they are affected by the call or not.
TECH	Indicates the call is technological in some way. Tech calls are more dangerous to some creatures, but are less effective against or can be countered by others.
IRRESISTIBLE	This call can't be RESISTed, except by abilities specifically briefed otherwise.

Visual Cues and Tags

One hand in the air	Anyone with one hand in the air and their index finger pointing upward is not present IC and should be ignored. If you are monstering, you should use this when moving between encounters.
Hand shading the eyes	If you are feeling uncomfortable OOC and don’t want to continue roleplaying, shade your eyes with one hand and leave the IC area when you feel able to do so. This is a cue that you are dropping out of character and other players and crew should respect this by not starting any interactions with you.
Flourescent yellow band	This person is non-contact and cannot be hit. See the non-contact rules for how to attack these players.

Some characters may wear tags or physreps to indicate their resistances.

Nimble	Gold ribbon	Can RESIST ranged calls.
Shielded	Blue ribbon	Can RESIST melee calls.
Tech Resistant	Magenta ribbon	Can RESIST TECH calls.
Armoured	Armour	Can RESIST non-TECH calls, or will take extra effect from TECH calls.

Dire Wounds and Terminal

If your character is incapacitated for 15 seconds or longer during an encounter you must make a wound draw at the end of it, but only once per encounter. You will be dealt a random wound from the wound deck, some of which are regular wounds, and some (roughly 2/3) are Dire. If you have two Dire wounds your character becomes Terminal. After making your wound draw if you are still incapacitated you regain one hit point, representing natural recovery.

Your bleed count while incapacitated is paused if another character does roleplay with two hands that seems beneficial (such as First Aid).

Wounds are typically caused by incapacitation, but can also be given out by the CURSE call, or while performing risky actions or experiments.

While Terminal you should act as though dying, and can’t take any actions. You can't be healed from this state by any normal means. You can move slowly, or can move at normal speed if assisted, or can be restrained by another character with continuous appropriate roleplay. You will die at a dramatically appropriate time of your OC choice before the end of the next interactive you attend. Becoming Terminal removes any wounds currently on you.

All treated wounds fully heal at the end of each event.

Calls and Combat

Calls are spoken out of character (except Would You Kindly inserted into conversation), but you are aware in character of any calls you witness around you, including RESISTs, unless it's an EFFECT that specifies you're unaware of it. For example, if someone strikes with a sword and calls "TRIPLE!", you can see by looking that it was a much more damaging blow than usual.
If two mutually incompatible calls affect you, other than EFFECT, then take the most recent one. If two emotion EFFECTs clash, you can choose which affects you more strongly. If two other EFFECTs clash, see a ref.
Touch range calls can only be made when you are able to touch the target. You do not actually need to touch the target to apply the call.
You can’t carry thrown weapons or a bow or crossbow at all unless trained.
Inform a ref if you plan to engage in physical PvP. If you PvP without a ref present and there’s contention, the benefit of the doubt will go to the defender.

Encounter

Per-encounter skills refresh after 5 minutes. On a linear also after a clear change of NPCs or location (if in doubt ask a ref).

Under Pressure

Some abilities can only be used when not under pressure. If a combat encounter is occurring, you are always under pressure. Some other situations may count - in this case, a ref will inform you.

Unresisting

An Unresisting target is one who cannot or chooses not to make any attempt to resist a roleplayed action made against them. Incapacitated, Terminal and dead characters are always unresisting. Any level of resistance is enough to disrupt a skill that requires an unresisting target; you should assume a target is resisting if able, unless they are roleplaying acceptance or playing possum.
Any skill that requires touch range appropriate roleplay requires an unresisting target unless otherwise specified.
When performing any roleplay that requires an unresisting target, it should be clear to close observers, and especially the target, that you’re performing a skill on them.
Another character can resist for an unwilling target; placing their hands in the way is sufficient, as is hitting them with a harmful call. You cannot resist for a willing target.

Looting and Searching

You can take weapons or game items that you can see from an unresisting target.

You can search a character with 30 seconds of touch range appropriate roleplay miming a search; do not actually rifle through the target’s belongings without permission. At the culmination of the search the target must offer you any game items they have on them.

This is the only way to non-consensually take items from another character. If you're in a hurry you can of course demand a character give you something, and threaten them if they don't.

Non-combat and non-contact

You can always remove yourself from a combat scene entirely by putting your finger in the air, moving away and then dropping to zero hits and becoming incapacitated. Call STOP THE GAME if you're unable to safely move away. Some combat scenes may have in-character mechanisms to allow non-combatants to stay out of the encounter.

Players can also decide to be non-contact. A non-contact player wears a flourescent yellow band, which indicates to other players they shouldn't hit you. You cannot wield weapons while non-contact, but can use other abilities, including offensive ones. Non-contact is distinct from non-combat; you should feel free to attack a non-contact player if you deem it appropriate with the following procedure:

To apply a melee call to a non-contact player, close to melee range, point and make the call. Do not actually swing your weapon.
To throw a weapon or fire a bow or crossbow at a non-contact player, aim then call the effect then discard your ammunition.

Clues

Sometimes, player characters may come across Clues represented by cards. These Clues represent information that your characters might find or details that catch your eye.

Most clues will list a condition "To Open". If this is a Skill, only a character with that Skill can open it. If it is an action, any character that takes the corresponding action can open it.